The Origins of the Innocence
by Siruba Tsubasa
Summary: The secrets of the Innocence are revealed, and the Heart is found. Maybe more Innocence exists than the Black Order and the Earl knows... 6 new Exorcists join the fight!
1. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence... a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man... She's so pathetic, she doesn't even own her own bakugan.

Please R&R

* * *

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the hospital room. Shun Kazami was asleep, kneeling on the ground and using the hospital bed as a pillow. Tear tracks were evident on his face, and clenched tightly in his right hand was the bakugan his mother had given him that afternoon.

In the bed lay the still form of his mother. Nearly right after she had given him the bakugan, she had been defeated by her illness and passed away. Shun's grandfather was now his official guardian, and he had left Shun in the hospital room while he made arrangements for Shun to move in with him.

"Mom…" Shun mumbled in his sleep, tears leaking out from beneath closed eyelids.

The sound of footsteps in the room woke Shun up. His amber eyes snapped open and he spun around to face the intruder. It was a fat man with glasses, dressed in Victorian-styled clothing.

"Who are you?" Shun demanded.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he said, "You loved your mother very much, didn't you, boy?"

Shun flinched, tearing springing to his eyes at the thought of his mother. "I don't see how that's any of your business," he replied.

The man chuckled and said, "I can bring her back for you, boy. Would you like me to?"

Shun's eyes widened. "Bring…her…back?" he repeated. "No, that's impossible. You can't bring the dead back."

The man waved his hand, and a model skeleton appeared. "I can. All you have to do is call her name, and she will come back."

Shun's eye's narrowed. "And how am I going to explain that to Grandpa and the doctors?"

The man seemed taken back, then replied, "You're a smart boy, aren't you? I'm sure you can think of something. Now, do you want her back or not?"

Shun closed his eyes and thought of his mother. She was the only parent he had, since his father left before he was born. They were always together, always each other's source of strength. If she was back… then everything could go back to normal, and he could fulfill his promise of taking care of her and making her happy.

Shun opened his eyes, determination blazing in his amber gaze. The man seemed happy, now, almost smug, that he had decided to accept his offer. "Just call he name, boy, and she will be back," he prompted.

"SHIORI KAZAMI!"

A flash of white light filled the room, and his mother's name became etched onto the forehead of the skeleton. When the light faded, the skeleton began to move and speak.

"Shun…"

Shun's eyes grew wide in surprise. It was his mother's voice! "Mom…" he began, but trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Shun, why did you make me into an akuma? Why did you call me back?" His mother sounded sorrowful, almost disappointed, as if she didn't want to be back.

"Because…" Shun faltered. "Because… I don't know how to live on without you! You were always there for everything, and then you were gone! I want you back!" Shun shouted.

"Oh, Shun… you have to move on. You have to let go," his mother said.

"But Mom…" Whatever Shun had been about to say, it was cut off by the voice of the man, now cruel and demonic.

"It doesn't matter. Now, my newest toy, kill that boy and take his body!"

* * *

I know that this is a weird idea for a fanfiction, but I just really wanted to have something in which a bakugan blows an akuma into oblivion. I thought Shun was the ideal character since he was the only one who actually had a family member die during the series. Don't worry, Shun will not die from the akuma attack.

WHEN REVIEWING: PLEASE, NO FLAMES!


	2. Backed Against the Wall

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence...a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man...she didn't own them the last time she uploaded, and she most likely never will

Please R&R

* * *

Shun's eyes grew wide as the man's words sank in. _Kill?_ At the same time, his mother began moaning.

"No…I don't want…to… Not…my…son…"

"Mom, are you alright?" The threatening words instantly forgotten, Shun approached his mother, trying to find a way to help, a habit from the days when she had been ill. "Mom, tell me what's wrong."

"Shun… No…don't….come near…me…" Shiori Kazami pleaded with her son, knowing that her control over the body was slipping.

"Mom, just tell me what's wrong!" Shun disregarded his mother's words and went closer and closer. Suddenly, a blade sliced upwards, narrowly missing his face. It was then that he noticed that the mechanical body didn't have forearms or hands: they were replaced by a long blade. His mother slashed again, and Shun's ninja reflexes kicked in. He dodged to one side, then jumped out of the way as his mother followed it up with another slash. "Mom, what are you doing!" Shun's mother didn't reply, only attacked him again in response, while Shun flipped out of the way. "Mom, stop it! Please, stop!"

"You can't reason with her, boy." There was the man's voice again. "She's my puppet now, and she'll do what I tell her to." Shun's eyes narrowed in anger. He turned in the direction of the man, planning how best to attack him, when he was interrupted by another slash by his mother. Shun jumped out of the way again.

Slash. Strike. Shun jumped and dodged the attacks, trying to find an opening to go on the offensive. _There!_ Shun ducked under a horizontal attack and sent a knife-hand flying at the ribs of the mechanical body, hoping that he won't hurt his mother too much.

"AH!" Shun jumped away, cradling his hurt hand. Whatever that mechanical body was made out of, it was hard. On the plus side, it meant that his mother wasn't hurt; on the minus, it meant that he couldn't to anything except dodge.

Back flip. Jump. Roll. Shun dodged one attack after another. By now, the hospital room was completely thrashed.

"AGH!" Shun yelled in pain. He had jumped up to avoid getting hit by one of the blades, but had been caught off guard by a slash from the other blade. He dodged it in midair, but had landed wrong as a result and twisted his ankle. He looked up and saw his mother approaching him, brandishing the two blades. He pushed himself up, but stumbled and fell when his injured ankle gave out from under him. Shun slid backwards, eyes wide with fear, trying to put as much distance between his mother and himself as humanly possible.

He looked behind himself in shock when his back hit a wall. He was trapped. There was nowhere he could go now, and his mother was steadily approaching. Shun wanted to scream for help, but fear had muted his voice, and his mouth moved silently.

_Clatter._

The sound of something rolling on the hospital floor drew Shun's attention. A small green sphere rolled to a stop in front of him. A bakugan. The bakugan that his mother had given him that very day. He hadn't noticed that he'd dropped it.

His mother came nearer and nearer. Shun was paralyzed with fear, his mind was blank… Shun closed his eyes, preparing for the worst, when… it stopped. Shun opened his eyes, only to close it again when he was nearly blinded by the green light emitting from the bakugan.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a green phoenix in front of him, with green flames burning around it. "What…how? The bakugan… but the field isn't…isn't…" His mother stood in front of it, unmoving, as if it was a barrier, protecting him. He looked down when something in his pocket began glowing green as well. He fumbled in his pocket for it, and took out an ability card. He squinted, and read the words on it.

"Green Nobility Violent Wind!"

At once, a green-tinted wind began blowing in the room, surrounding his mother. The winds swirled around her, and she tensed, but before she could do anything, the mechanical body blew up, leaving behind charred, smoking pieces of metal. The bakugan returned to its ball form and bounced towards him.

Shun caught it out of reflex as he looked around the room. The man had vanished, leaving no trace of his presence behind. The hospital room was all but destroyed, but his mother's body still lay peacefully in the bed. The throbbing pain in his ankle became much more prominent now. Shun briefly wondered why no one had come despite the fact that there was a great deal of noise during the fight, but thought was forgotten when the bakugan in his hand jumped up and asked, "Are you all right?"

Shun stared at it, blinked at few times, then promptly passed out.

* * *

Special Sankyus to Rokiyam, LaLa-In-wAnDeRlAnD, Danyeda Goofy Panterita, and shinohime-chan for putting it in Favorites, putting it on Story Alert, and reviewing it.

Like I promised, Shun didn't die. I'd never have the heart to kill him, anyway.

TRIVIA TIME! The people who answer the question correctly in a review will get, well, nothing, asides from a Sankyu that you actually reviewed.

Who is Shun Kazami's english voice actor? (Honestly, this is an easy one.)

WHEN REVIEWING: NO FLAMES, PLEASE!


	3. The Adventure's Just Begun

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence...a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man... if she did, she wouldn't be writing this on this website now, would she?

Please R&R

* * *

The early morning sun hit Shun full in the face, so bright that his eyes hurt when he opened them that morning. He shut his eyes quickly and turned away from the sun before opening them again, blinking a few time to focus his surroundings. His grandfather was sitting in a chair beside the bed he was in, and when he sat up and looked around, Shun realized that he was in a hospital room.

"Grandpa?" Shun called, waking his grandfather.

"Oh, Shun, you're awake," his grandfather said. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," Shun answered. "What am I doing in a hospital bed?"

"Because when I went to check on you last night, I found the hospital room nearly completely destroyed, a hunk of smoldering metal on the floor, and you, unconscious, several feet away from your mother's bed, where I was sure you were sleeping before. What happened in there?" the old man asked.

A few scenes flashed in Shun's mind. A fat man…a mechanical person…green light…a phoenix… Shun shook his head, dismissing the images. "Um… I'm not quite sure either, Grandpa."

Shun's grandfather stared at him for a few moments longer, then said, "Okay, as long as you're alright."

A few minutes later, a doctor walked into the room. "Good morning, Shun. How are you?"

"Fine," Shun replied.

"Does anything hurt? Are you dizzy or anything?"

"Nothing…except my ankle kind of hurts."

The doctor poked and prodded at Shun's ankle for the few minutes, then said, "It looks like you twisted it. Any idea how that happened?"

The images flashed in Shun's mind again, and he forced them out once more. "No idea."

"Well, it should be fine in a few days. Just try not to strain it any more, okay?" Shun nodded. The doctor turned to his grandfather. "Your grandson appears to be fine. He can leave any time he wishes." The doctor then left.

"After you're ready, we'll go by your home and pack up your things. Then we'll head over to the dojo," Shun's grandfather said. Shun took that as he cue to hop off the bed. He then realized that his bakugan was nowhere to be found.

"Where my bakugan?" Shun asked.

"On the bedside table. You were holding pretty tightly when I found you," his grandfather answered. Shun picked it up and put it in his pocket.

The drive to where Shun and his mother had lived was silent. Shun spent the entire time staring out the window, thinking about the events of last night. _It must be a dream…but it feels so real…_ Shun reached inside his pocket and clenched the bakugan tightly, His mother's last gift to him…no matter what, her primary concern was always his happiness.

It took quite a while for the two of them to pack up everything and move it to the dojo. It then took Shun the entire afternoon to unpack everything and set up his computer. Finally, when the last cord was plugged in, he sat down in the chair and took the bakugan out of his pocket. He set it on the desk and gazed at it.

"I…dreamed that you were in your bakugan form even when the field wasn't open…that you talked to me…" Shun murmured. "It was just a dream, right…? Then why does it feel so _real_…?"

"Because it was real." Shun jumped, startled. The bakugan on his desk had popped open by itself and had just spoken.

"You…talk?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Of course. All bakugan talk," it answered.

"But…I've never heard any others talk…" Shun said.

"Only the really powerful ones can talk while in the human world. But back where we came from, in Vestroia, all bakugan talk."

"Oh… what's your name?" he inquired.

"Skyress. Ventus Skyress. And yours?"

"I'm Shun. Shun Kazami," he replied. "When you said that it was real, does that mean that everything last night… wasn't a dream? That man…Mom…the fight…everything really happened?"

"Yes. It all really happened," Skyress answered, her voice wise and gentle.

Shun was silent for a moment, trying to accept the fact that 1)his bakugan talked, and 2)there really was a fight in the hospital room last night, and that it hadn't been a dream. "What was that?" Shun whispered, thinking about the mechanical man. "Skyress, do you know what that was? That mechanical…skeleton…thing…"

"I don't know," Skyress replied. "All I know is that when it was near…I just felt that I had to destroy it…and I did."

"Thanks," Shun said. Then he noticed the time. "Oh, jeez, already? I have to go to bed now if I'm to wake up in time for training with Grandpa tomorrow morning." He changed into a tank top with dark-colored pants hurriedly, turned off the lights, and got into bed. The last thing he heard before her fell asleep was Skyress' voice, softly saying:

"Goodnight, Shun."

* * *

And I am _back!!! _I could have waited until the weekend to post this up, but I'm in a particularly good mood today, so I decided not to keep my readers waiting any longer.

Special Sankyus to: shinohime-chan, Danyeda Goofy Panterita, LaLa-In-wAnDeRlAnD, and Rokiyam, for either putting it on Favorites, Story Alerts, reviewing it, or a combination of all of them. I really appreciate the support you guys show.

I have no idea when I'm going to post the next chapter, but I will do it as soon as possible.

TRIVIA TIME!!! In New Vestroia, Shun first appeared in which episode?

WHEN REVIEWING: NO FLAMES, PLEASE, BUT FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND OFFER CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM.


	4. Rebel One

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence, a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man...if she did, Shun would have never cut his hair in New Vestroia

Please R&R

* * *

Shun jumped from branch to branch in the forest, staying on each one for barely a second before jumping onto another. His ankle had healed after a week or so, and his grandfather had wasted no time in setting up a training schedule for him. The pain of losing his mother had faded into a dull ache, and the events of that night, with the fat man and the artificial skeleton, had become a mere memory. Skyress rode on Shun's shoulder as he trained in the forest. The two had grown closer as she helped him recover from the loss of his mother, and now Shun viewed her as sort of a surrogate mother.

Shun glanced at Skyress briefly to make sure that she hadn't fallen off his shoulder somewhere as he leapt towards another branch. They rarely spoke to each other when Shun was training: both knew that Shun needed to concentrate fully on the task at hand if he wanted to complete it unscathed (Shun had accidentally slammed his head into a tree branch when he was chatting with Skyress once during training). Despite the fact that there was not much difference between Skyress being with him and Skyress not being with him, Shun still brought Skyress along to training. He took comfort in her presence, and liked knowing that he wasn't alone.

Skyress gasped suddenly and began glowing. Shun landed on a branch and took her off of his shoulder. "Skyress, are you okay?" he asked, cradling her in his hands.

"That feeling…it's so ominous…like something bad is going to happen…" Skyress murmured. "Like what I felt when that thing was there."

Shun narrowed his eyes. "That thing? Why don't we check it out, Skyress? Which way?" Skyress was silent for a moment, and then turned towards the way they were going.

"That way." Shun took off in that direction.

Shun continued his tree-jumping training, occasionally pausing to ask Skyress if they were still going in the right direction. After a while, there was no need to even asked: Skyress grew increasingly uncomfortable the further they went.

Eventually, the pair reached a clearing in the forest. It was empty except for a man dressed in a suit, who was just standing there, looking at nothing in particular. Shun landed on a branch on one of the trees surrounding the clearing.

"I don't know about you, Skyress, but I don't see anything that resembles that mechanical skeleton," Shun whispered to Skyress.

"I don't either. But the feeling is still there. And it's strongest over here," Skyress murmured. Shun looked over the clearing one more time. _It'd be a nice place to go for some alone time…_

"The man…doesn't he look out of place?" Shun asked.

"Yes, but there's nothing truly dangerous about a man being out of place in a clearing," Skyress answered.

Suddenly, the man fixed his gaze on Shun. "Human…" he hissed. "So…hungry…Starving…LET ME KILL!" Shun stiffened at those words.

The man exploded out of his clothes, and turned into a large, egged shaped thing with tubes protruding from the body. The man's face had turned into an eerie mask, but its gaze was still focused on Shun. _This is bad…this is bad…I should run…_ But Shun was frozen in fear as the man, who, despite being slightly out of place, was perfectly normal, transformed into this…thing.

The thing fired off a round of bullets in his direction, and Shun realized that the tubes were cannon-like structures of some sort. He jumped off the branch to avoid the bullets. It fired off bullet after bullet, and Shun did all he could to dodge them. Shun looked up as a stray bullet hit a bird flying through the clearing. Horrified, he watched as black pentagons appeared all over the bird and it exploded into the dust. He dodged the bullets even more desperately now.

"Skyress…what do we do?" he panted. There was no answer. "Skyress?" He looked towards his shoulder, where Skyress was the last time he checked. She wasn't there. "Skyress!" he yelled desperately.

"Shun!" He looked for the source of the voice. There she was! He must have dropped her when he was evading the bullets. He ran towards her, but backed away when bullets rained down in front of him. Back…back… the thing began forcing him towards the edge of the clearing. Shun stared, horrified, as he realized that he had backed into a tree. Frozen with fear as the thing approached him, he closed his eyes and shouted the only thing that came to his mind.

"VENTUS SKYRESS, STAND!"

When Shun cautiously opened his eyes, he found Skyress, in her phoenix form, hovering in front of him, and the thing quite a distance away.

"I guess this means that we should try what we did last time?" Shun asked. Taking the slight nod that Skyress gave him as agreement, Shun took an ability card out of his pocket. "Green Nobility Violent Wind!" Like the last time, a green-tinted wind blew around the thing, but instead of causing it to blow up, it faded away, leaving the thing unscathed. "What…?" Shun stared in shock. The thing took the momentary distraction and fired a bullet at Shun. It hit Skyress instead, and in a bright flash, she returned to her ball form and rolled towards Shun. Shun picked her up. "Are you okay, Skyress?"

"I'll be fine…WATCH OUT SHUN!"

Shun looked up in time to see a lot of bullets flying towards him. He jumped out of the way just in time. "What do you think we should do, Skyress?"

"What can we do but try again? It'll obviously follow us if we run."

"But you got hurt the last time…wait, what if we use more ability cards this time?" Shun asked.

"It's worth a try."

Shun tossed Skyress as if he was in a brawl. "Ventus Skyress, stand!" Skyress turned into her phoenix form, and the thing stopped the hail of bullets. It focused its attention on Skyress, almost as if it was judging her. It got ready to fire again, but Shun was faster.

"Wind of Fury!" The thing jerked back, almost as if it was hurt, and when it began moving again, it was slower. Shun looked at the next card.

"Blow Away!" A powerful wind began glowing in the clearing, and there was a sickening crack as it slammed into a tree.

"Green Nobility Fire Storm!" Skyress glowed green as she felt her strength increase.

"GREEN NOBILITY VIOLENT WIND!" The wind took on a green tint and began surrounding the thing, hiding it from view. _BAM!_ It exploded, sending shards flying everywhere. Skyress turned back into a ball, and bounced into Shun's hand.

"Well…that certainly was interesting," Skyress commented as they made their way back through the forest to the dojo.

Shun just groaned. "I missed the majority of my afternoon training. Grandpa's going to kill me…"

* * *

Well...

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for going for such a long time without an update. I truly am.

Well, now that I am back: I already have an idea of what I'm going to do for the next chapter, so hopefully it'll be up soon. And it's summer vacation, so I have more time to write.

Special Sankyus to Danyeda Goofy Panterita, YoruichiKittyCat16, and Wolfi-Chan, who reviewed my previous chapter.

TRIVIA TIME!

Skyress' Japanese voice actor is...?

WHEN REVIEWING: NO FLAMES, PLEASE!


	5. It's a Small Small World

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence...a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man...if she did, Skyress would still be Shun's guardian bakugan

Please R&R

* * *

"That's it. I guess we know who's responsible."

The laughter and cheers stopped abruptly at Shun's statement. "So it's Webmaster Joe then," Dan said.

"Yes, it has to be him. He's the only one who has access to our website and all of our communications," Marucho confirmed.

"Joe…?" Runo sounded disappointed and sad.

Alice looked up at the night sky. "Hm…I wonder where he is right now…"

Everyone was silent as they thought about the new revelations. Finally, Marucho broke the silence. "C'mon guys, let's go back to the plane!" he chirped. "Since Dan defeated Chan Lee, we have to celebrate!" Dan, Runo, and Julie cheered in agreement. Alice, ever the considerate one, asked if he needed help, while Shun just smiled. _They'll never change…_

The walk back to the plane was full of laughter and cheers as Dan recounted his battle against Chan Lee. Shun trailed behind the group, content with just listening most of the time and throwing in a sarcastic comment every now and then. Shun let a rare smile to curve his lips, something which didn't go unnoticed by Skyress.

"What are you smiling about?" Skyress asked.

"It's just perfect. The laughter, the cheers, the bickering… Sometimes I wish things can stay like this forever…" Shun said softly.

"Yes… this is perfect in it's own way," she agreed. Shun walked quietly behind the group, enjoying the ever-familiar scene of Dan and Runo screeching at each other and the others trying to calm them down, feeling somewhat sentimental and peaceful, when, unfortunately, Skyress began glowing green in a way that Shun had grown to associate with the presence of 'those things'.

"Oh no…" Shun whispered. "Here too?"

"That appears to be so," Skyress replied.

"Where?"

Skyress turned towards the direction from which they had come. Shun thought for a moment, weighing his options, before calling: "Hey guys, head back to the plane without me, alright?"

"Why, Shun?" Dan asked.

"I just noticed something strange, I thought I'd go check it out." The lie came easily. It was, after all, not the first time he had to conceal where he was going. His grandfather had, on several occasions, questioned him on his whereabouts, and he had been forced to lie, since he highly doubted that his grandfather would believe the truth.

"I'm coming with you!" Dan declared. Shun winced. Not a good idea. If it started firing off those bullets… Shun could barely manage to dodge them sometimes, and he had training. For Dan, who had no martial arts experience whatsoever… No, it was best to go alone, even though having Drago along might help.

"Dan, you just suggested that you come with me, walking in a canyon in the middle of nowhere at night. Are you stupid? Who knows what could be out there! I can take care of myself, Dan, but you can't." It was the cruel truth. Dan wouldn't be able to take care of himself if he caught the attention of one of those things, and Shun's skills just weren't good enough to make sure they both made it out alive.

Dan's temper flared at Shun's words. Shun had not said it directly, but Dan knew he was calling him 'weak'. "Fine! Go! And take your time coming back!" With that, Dan ran towards the direction of the plane, and the rest followed, leaving Shun standing there. Shun closed his eyes and headed where Skyress had informed him that thing was.

* * *

Shun stared at the smoldering scraps of metal. It was easy, dealing with the thing. It had become something so routine, he didn't even need to think about it. Skyress had guilt-tripped him into destroying a few more of those things after his first encounter, and after a while, he took it upon himself to vanquish them as soon as possible.

"Should we tell them, Skyress?" Shun asked. "If the other bakugan could also do something like this, it would be a great help."

"It would. And you wouldn't have to lie to them, like you did today."

Shun sighed. Dan's furious words echoed in his ears. "Would they believe the truth? Sometimes I barely believe it myself."

"It's a risk you'll have to take, Shun. I can't tell you what to do. It'll have to be your own choice."

* * *

Special Sankyus to: Misutii Hi No De, The Flea, Panda-Hiroko, and Wolfi-Chan! I appreciate your comments and reviews!

I will post a poll on my profile that is related to this story. Please vote!

TRIVIA TIME!

In Gundalian Invaders, Shun's battle gear is...?


	6. My Heart's a Battleground

Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence... a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man... She does have her own bakugan now though.

Please R&R

* * *

The sky outside was dark as Marucho's plane took the brawlers back to Japan, on a lead to find Webmaster Joe. The glowing numbers on the clock read 1:50. It was late; even Kato was sleeping, having put the plane on autopilot. The brawlers had all gone to bed hours ago, and most, along with their bakugan, were asleep in the comfy beds on Marucho's plane. However, a certain pair of amber eyes remained open.

Shun tossed and turned in bed, unable to find sleep. In the bed beside his, Dan was asleep and snoring quite loudly. The newly evolved Drago and Skyress were both sleeping on the bedside table between the two beds. Shun closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, as if he was meditating, and tried to sleep once more, but the thoughts swirling around his head kept him awake. Heaving a sigh, he got out of bed silently and crept out of the room.

He was on a plane; he couldn't climb onto a roof and watch the moon like he usually did when he needed to sort out his thoughts, so he settled for watching the scenery pass by from the big windows in the living room on the plane.

_"Way to go, Drago! You're the first bakugan to evolve!" Julie chirped._

_"So cool!" Runo commented._

_Drago's evolved…_ Once again, Shun pondered the question that had bothered him ever since he joined the brawlers. _Should I tell them…?_ Shun gazed at the passing clouds, amber eyes reflecting the indecision in his mind. _Dan…he'd definitely want to help. He won't be satisfied with just knowing that there was something that dangerous out there…he'll want to do something. The others won't approve of me doing this alone; they'll want to come...they'll want to help…and it'd be great if they could. And Drago's stronger now. Together, we could destroy more of those things than I can alone._

Shun had almost decided to tell the brawlers about those things and what he and Skyress had been doing when a thought struck him like a punch to the gut.

_But what if Drago and the others can't do what Skyress can…If they can't…and they come…they'll be in danger! And I won't be able to protect them…_

Shun stared out the windows for a while longer, weighing the pros and cons of telling the rest of the brawlers, before he decided that sitting there wasn't going to help him and returned to his room.

He had just stepped into the room when a shout from Dan caused him to freeze in his tracks. "No you don't, Masquerade!" Shun looked around, wondering if the masked brawler had somehow managed to sneak aboard Marucho's plane. "That's _my_ pudding!" Shun bit his lip to keep from laughing. Of all the things that Dan could have dreamt about, he just had to dream about Masquerade stealing his pudding. As the teenage ninja watched his best friend sleep, mumbling things about crazy masked people stealing pudding in between snores, he came to a decision. _There's no need to tell them. It's not like I can't take care of things. There's no need to bring them into such danger…there's no need to worry them with such matters. I'll take care of everything._

* * *

_With a scream, Drago fell into the Doom Dimension. "Drago!" Dan screamed, and began running towards the bakugan._

"_Dan!" Shun chased after the brunette, hoping to catch him before he did something stupid._

"_Drago, no!" Dan leaped into the Doom Dimension after Drago, and Shun saw, within the depths of the portal, one of 'those things'…He instinctively reached for Skyress, but before he could do anything, a bullet flew out from one of those cannon-like structures, heading straight for Dan._

Amber eyes snapped open, and Shun woke with a gasp. _Nightmare… It's just a nightmare…_

* * *

"You know, I just can't believe you, Shun. Not telling anyone about your note from Masquerade?" Runo said as they searched for their bakugan among the tall grass. Shun shot her a glare. Runo straightened up and continued. "We're all supposed to work as a team and you're a part of it."

"Back off!" he snapped.

"'Scuse me? You're not so cool," Runo replied, nearly sneering. A fight would have broken out between the two if Marucho hadn't interrupted.

"Found them! I found them over here in the grass!" This was followed by a round of reprimanding their bakugan for running off on their own and assuring them that the battle for Vestroia is as much the brawlers' battle as it is the bakugans'. "Now you listen, best friends always stick together," Marucho said to Preyas. "And that goes for you as well, Shun," he added. Julie 'humph'ed angrily.

"That goes double for me," Runo said.

"If anyone's going to save Dan, we're going to go as a team." Marucho continued.

"Okay…But there's a real good chance we will never come back."

"Shun, cut the drama, would you?" Julie interjected. "We have to be positive about this. Whadd'ya say? I believe we at least give it a try."

"You sure?" Shun looked away, exasperated. _Why are they so eager to join in what more likely than not is a suicide mission when I'm trying to keep them alive?_

"We're all sure," Runo said firmly. Shun growled.

"Okay, I'm in," he said, giving them an awkward smile.

"Alright guys, fifty minutes to meet up with Masquerade," Marucho announced as he looked at his watch. "Oh, that doesn't give us much time, does it?"

* * *

Shun finished he talk with his grandfather quickly. The old man didn't mind his grandson spending a little more time at Marucho's place – at least, that's what he thought Shun was doing. Shun sat down on the couch and thought about the conversation from before. _A team, huh… A part of a team…_ Shun wondered what Runo would do if she ever found out that there was something else he was doing behind their backs. He let out a bitter chuckle. _She'd blow her top, probably._

"Something funny, Shun?" came Skyress' voice.

"Just that Runo would probably explode if she found out," he replied. He didn't have to elaborate; Skyress knew perfectly well he was talking about 'those things'.

"She might go easier on you if you tell them sometime soon, rather than let them find out on their own," the Ventus bakugan remarked.

Shun's eyes hardened. "I will not drag them into that, Skyress. It's too dangerous."

"More dangerous than going to the Doom Dimension?"

Shun did not answer, and the pair remained in silence until it was time to go meet up with Masquerade.

* * *

_He was wandering in a forest, walking around aimlessly in this place that he sort-of recognized but couldn't quite remember. He paused slightly when he reached a clearing, standing at its edge and admiring the beauty of nature, and suddenly he knew where he was. He had fought – and defeated – one of 'those things' in this clearing. In fact, that one was the second one he fought, the one that showed him the true terror of 'those things' – the memory of the bird exploding into a shower of dust still sent shivers down his spine._

_Speak of the devil and the devil shall come: a horde of 'those things' appeared out of nowhere. He backed away slightly; he had never had to fight against such great numbers before. But he still reached for Skyress, who was perched upon his shoulder. With a practiced throw, he tossed Skyress out as if he was brawling. "Ventus Storm Skyress, stand!" The green light that had erupted from the sphere faded to reveal Skyress in her true form._

_With a start, he glanced around when he heard other voices join his own, and was surprised to find that he was not alone. Dan was there, with Drago already out and ready to fight, as was Runo, Marucho, Julie, Alice, and Joe. Dan grinned at him. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, then drew two ability cards from his pocket. "Boosted Ultima! Fire Tornado!" he yelled, activating them in quick succession. Shards of molten metal flew everywhere as one of 'those things' blew up._

_He took out an ability card of his own and called out "Destruction Meteor Storm!" effectively destroying another one. Around him, the rest of the brawlers took out their ability cards and began vanquishing the rest of the group. It didn't take long until there was only one left._

_And suddenly he was no longer part of the battle, but a spectator, watching the events in the clearing from the woods. Amber eyes widened in horror when he saw bullets flying from the thing, going straight for the brawlers. The air around them suddenly got colder as he realized that his legs were frozen in place, and that no matter how much he yelled, the brawlers didn't seem to hear a word._

_He squeezed his eyes shut – he had not desire to see his friends' deaths – but it did nothing to block out the sounds or stop the mental images that were currently running through his head. His eyes opened just in time to see each and every one of the brawlers explode into dust. "No…no…" he murmured. He crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down his face._

"NOOO!"

Shun shot up in his bed, and gasped for breath. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart. _A dream, it's only a dream…_ He had been toying with the idea to telling the brawlers before he had gone to sleep; perhaps it was just his overactive his mind playing out his worst fears. _Or an omen…?_ A year ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of omen, but then again, a year ago, he would have also scoffed at the idea of people turning into murdering machines.

Shun walked over to the window and stared outside. The sight of the moon rising silently in the night sky always calmed him down. _That'll never happen_, he told himself firmly,_ it's not like I won't warn them about those bullets, not to mention, they've all gotten a lot stronger…and in Dan's case, stronger than me. If I can take care of it, surely they can. They'll be fine._ But no matter what Shun told himself, the image of his friends dying haunted his thoughts. He looked up at the moon desperately, as if it'd give him an answer if he begged.

_Mom…what should I do?_

* * *

Thanks to all the people that are reading this, reviewing, putting it on story alerts, putting it on favorites, or a combination of the four listed above. I'd type out your names, but I have more pressing matters to get to...

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for not updating for a year. This chapter was a bit troublesome to begin with, add in a writer's block that was mostly a result of not living in the States anymore (which meant it wasn't going to go away easily), throw school into the mix and you end up with a chapter that took a year to write.

Next is the question of whether or not I should rewrite this story. When I first began this, I just started writing without any sort of a plan or outline in mind. So I don't have any idea what's going to happen in the next chapter, much less the ending, and then there's all those technical things that I skipped over in these first few chapters. So I want to start over with some guidelines about the story this time around, and hopefully give you guy longer, more professional sounding chapters than you've been dealing with. If I do rewrite, not much is going to change, it'll just be a little more organized. So keep what I have right now, or go for a rewrite? Give me your opinions in a review, please.

I also have some ideas and theories that'll make the things in this story somewhat plausible. If I'm not rewriting, I'll type it up and add it to whatever chapter I've got next. If I'm rewriting, I'll either put it as the first chapter or stick it in the middle somewhere after things get confusing enough to require its use. It's up to you guys what you want.

While you guys are reviewing and giving me advice, can someone come up with an explanation as to how Komui can be alive in the 21st century? I don't want to have to kill him off, but he's not an exorcist, so I can't use the same excuse that I'm using for them.

By the way, for the timeline in this chapter, the beginning takes place right before "Say it ain't so Joe" and ends during the time period in between "You Say You Want an Evolution" and "Behind the Mask of Masquerade".

So... review please? It'd be very much appreciated. And no flames please.


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